Aaron Judge makes Yankees' playoff clinch worth the celebration after Blue Jays collapse

Heading into Monday, the New York Yankees' magic number to clinch a playoff spot was one. They either needed to beat the Twins in the series opener or hope the Blue Jays lost to the Tigers. Yankees fans got to enjoy both.

On a rainy night in Minnesota, the Yankees had Will Warren on the mound, and the right-hander cruised through five innings. With a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth, he ran into some trouble and was let down by his defense.

Ryan McMahon made an error to allow a runner to reach base with one out. Then, after Warren secured the second out via strikeout, George Lombard Jr. couldn't secure a hot-shot liner off the bat of Josh Bell. It was ruled an infield single, but it surely felt like another error.

The next batter, top prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez, hit a two-run triple to give Minnesota a 2-1 lead. Yankees fans knew the game wasn't over, but that was pretty deflating considering New York was in full control with Warren allowing just three hits and two walks through 5 1/3 innings pitched.

Michael Fulmer stranded the runner at third to keep the score 2-1, and then came the top of the eighth when hope was restored. The Yankees erupted for six runs, capped off by Aaron Judge's first home run since coming off the injured list. His three-run blast made it a 7-2 Yankees lead.

Yankees reach 2026 postseason for their ninth playoff berth in the last 10 years

Before Judge's game-sealing blast, Jose Caballero, whose solo homer in the third was the only Yankees run up until the eighth, tied the game with an RBI single. After that, Ben Rice looped a two-run single into center field to give New York a 4-2 lead.

But the real joy came from the Blue Jays' loss, which actually earned the Yankees their ninth playoff appearance in 10 years before they secured the win vs the Twins. Up 2-0 heading into the seventh, Toronto allowed four runs as the Tigers rallied off Jose Soriano, who was dominant through his first six frames.

The Jays reclaimed the lead in the bottom half of the inning but then watched their bullpen melt down. The back breaker came on an error by closer Louis Varland, who couldn't handle Vladimir Guerrero Jr.s throw to first base. That allowed the game-winning run to score for Detroit. Had he secured it, there would have been two outs and a runner on third with the game still tied.

To make matters worse for the Jays, a win would have put them in the third Wild Card spot after the Guardians lost to the White Sox. Instead, Cleveland maintained its one-game lead over Toronto and the Rangers moved a half-game closer to further intensify the AL playoff picture.

The Yankees are popping champagne, and are thankfully doing so after a win. Had they lost, celebrating a clincher after another team's misfortune would've been lame. That said, the job is far from done, but it's certainly a luxury to feel this type of relief with two weeks left in the regular season. The next step is to maintain a stranglehold on the No. 1 Wild Card spot while remaining in striking distance of the division lead.

Meanwhile, the Jays will be living and dying on every pitch until the bitter end with no guarantee they play a game beyond Sept. 27. Should've won Game 7 of the World Series — that surely wouldn't have made this season more agonizing for you.

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